The invention relates generally to high energy density capacitors and more specifically to polymer-based high energy density capacitors and methods of manufacture.
High energy density capacitors have become increasingly important in various industrial, military, and commercial operations. Polymer based capacitors are lightweight and compact and hence are attractive for various land based and space applications. However, most of the dielectric polymers are characterized by low energy densities (<5 J/cc) and/or have low breakdown strength (<450 kV/mm), which may limit the operating voltage of the capacitor. In order to achieve high energy density, it may be desirable to have both high dielectric constant and high breakdown strength. A trade-off between these two properties may not be advantageous. Most dielectric polymers that exhibit high breakdown strength have low dielectric constant. Therefore, it is important to identify a material with considerably high dielectric constant and high breakdown strength. In spite of considerable effort, there is a need for polymer materials suitable for high energy density capacitors especially for high voltage applications. Further, there is a need for simpler and versatile methods to prepare high quality thin films of such polymer materials for use in high energy density capacitors.